The potential use of guinea pigs and mice as an alternative to sheep and goats for safety testing of peste des petits ruminants live vaccine

Three sterile, potent and identified separate batches of the locally manufactured live pastes des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) vaccine were subjected to safety testing in rodents (Guinea pigs and mice) as well as in small ruminants (sheep and goats). For each vaccine batch, three susceptible animals of each of sheep and goats. Including one pregnant animal per species were inoculated subcutaneously. Each with 1 ml of the vaccine containing 5 log10 TCID50 of the reconstituted randomly selected. Statistically representative samples per batch. Same number & status of animals were held as contact control, inoculated S/C, each with the same volume of normal physiological saline solution as a placebo. Corresponding tests in rodents were done using 10 young and 6 pregnant mice for each of the three vaccine batches. Five young and 3 pregnant Guinea pigs received an intramuscular dose of 0.5 ml of 6log 10 TCID50/ ml per head/ batch. The same dose was given intraperitoneally per head of the rest half number of animals . ten unweaned and 6 pregnant mice recived an intraperitoneal dose of 0.1 ml of 6log10 TCID50/ ml perhead per batch. A similar number of control rodents were given the same dosing volume of normal physiological saline solution per corresponding routes of inoculations, as aplacebo. All tested small ruminants as well as rodents remained absolutely healthy throughout a three weeks observation post inoculations. Pregnant animals gave birth to normal healthy suckling off springs. Non lactating rodents. Sacrificed for post-mortem examinations, were absolutely negative to gross pathological findings. Results obtained would be considered a convincing evidence encouraging the orientation to test the locally produced PPRV vaccine safety in rodents as an alternative to sheep and goats. This alternation might save a lot of expenses, time and effort spent in performing one criterion of the quality control integration system.